A 17-year-old boy from Blue Island died of an infection after he underwent root canal surgery, and his family says they believe the procedure may have been unnecessary. Christopher Schutzius died of sepsis, a toxic infection, following the root canal, the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled following an autopsy Thursday. Medical experts say it is rare for serious complications to occur following a root canal, and usually only happen if an infection is present before the procedure.

Authorities this morning discovered the body of a man who appeared to have been fatally struck by a train in south suburban Blue Island. The unidentified man, believed to be in his 50s, was found near freight tracks at Chatham Avenue near Thornton Road sometime this morning, according to a spokesman from Cook County medical examiner’s office. He didn’t know exactly what time the man was discovered. The incident took place about 5:30 a.m., said Carla Groleau, a spokeswoman for CSX...

A 32-year-old man was arrested over the weekend in connection with the sexual assault of a young woman last week in south suburban Blue Island. Donquila Butler was charged today with aggravated criminal sexual assault, a felony, in the Monday attack of an 18-year-old woman, said Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office. The attack happened near 120th Street and Western Avenue in Blue Island, a block south of suburb's border with Chicago. Another law-enforcement...

Authorities this morning discovered the body of a man who appeared to have been fatally struck by a train in south suburban Blue Island. The unidentified man, believed to be in his 50s, was found near freight tracks at Chatham Avenue near Thornton Road sometime this morning, according to a spokesman from Cook County medical examiner’s office. He didn’t know exactly what time the man was discovered. The incident took place about 5:30 a.m., said Carla...

A 32-year-old man was arrested over the weekend in connection with the sexual assault of a young woman last week in south suburban Blue Island. Donquila Butler was charged today with aggravated criminal sexual assault, a felony, in the Monday attack of an 18-year-old woman, said Sally Daly, a spokeswoman for the Cook County state's attorney's office. The attack happened near 120th Street and Western Avenue in Blue Island, a block south of suburb's border with Chicago. Another law-enforcement...

Easter services at Apostolic Assembly of Christ ended on a somber note Sunday, as Bishop Jerry Jones offered a prayer for a missing member of the Blue Island congregation. Seventeen-year-old Mariah Edwards was last seen in July, when prosecutors believe she was killed by her onetime neighbor, Sonny Pierce, who lived just a few blocks south of the church on South Vincennes Avenue. Pierce, 27, last week was charged with the murder of Edwards and...

Easter services at Apostolic Assembly of Christ ended on a somber note Sunday, as Bishop Jerry Jones offered a prayer for a missing member of the Blue Island congregation. Seventeen-year-old Mariah Edwards was last seen in July, when prosecutors believe she was killed by her onetime neighbor, Sonny Pierce, who lived just a few blocks south of the church on South Vincennes Avenue. Pierce, 27, last week was charged with the murder of Edwards and two other women. Prosecutors say...

Twenty-two students and nine staff members at a Blue Island grammar school were taken to area hospitals today after bleach was accidentally mixed with another chemical in a janitor’s closet, causing caustic fumes to spread in the building. The students at the Paul Revere Intermediate School for 4th and 5th graders were taken to hospitals as far away as St. Margaret Mercy Hospital in Dyer, Ind., as local hospital emergency rooms quickly filled...

A woman found strangled Thursday morning in south suburban Blue Island was identified this morning as a Chicago resident, officials said. The woman, identified as Kimika Coleman, 18, of the 10000 block of South Merrill Avenue in Chicago, was found in an alley on the 12900 block of South California Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. An autopsy conducted Thursday determined that the woman had been strangled in a...

Flames engulfed three houses early this morning in Blue Island. No injuries were reported in the fires, which happened near 120th Street and Vincennes Avenue ( map ), not far from the south suburb's border with Chicago. In fact, Chicago firefighters were first to arrive on the scene, according to Blue Island Fire Department Lt. Mike Kaliski. In addition to Chicago and Blue Island, he said, firefighters from nearby suburbs such as Posen, Calumet Park and Oak Forest assisted in battling the...

The FBI is looking for a gunman who robbed a bank in Blue Island this morning. A man carrying a black handgun entered the TCF branch inside a Jewel food store at 2320 W. 127th Street in Blue Island about 9:40 a.m. and threatened to harm a teller if he wasn't given cash, according to a press release from the agency. He was given an undisclosed amount of money and left the bank on foot. No shots were fired and no injuries were reported. The agency said witnesses saw a man matching the...

Twenty-two students and nine staff members at a Blue Island grammar school were taken to area hospitals today after bleach was accidentally mixed with another chemical in a janitor’s closet, causing caustic fumes to spread in the building. The students at the Paul Revere Intermediate School for 4th and 5th graders were taken to hospitals as far away as St. Margaret Mercy Hospital in Dyer, Ind., as local hospital emergency rooms quickly filled with students, officials said.

A 17-year-old boy from Blue Island died of an infection after he underwent root canal surgery, and his family says they believe the procedure may have been unnecessary. Christopher Schutzius died of sepsis, a toxic infection, following the root canal, the Cook County medical examiner's office ruled following an autopsy Thursday. Medical experts say it is rare for serious complications to occur following a root canal, and usually only happen if an...

Following the drowning of a Calumet Township trustee last summer during an after-hours party at a Blue Island Park District pool, the park board is disintegrating into political turmoil, with commissioners accusing the president of trying to wrest control of the district. Three commissioners last week hastily called a special board meeting on New Year's Eve to hire a new board attorney who would, in part, represent them in...

The body of a south suburban man reported missing New Year's Day was found Monday morning in the Cal-Sag Channel, authorities said. Police were alerted at 11:08 a.m. to the body on the south bank of the Cal-Sag Channel near Interstate Highway 57 west of Ashland at mile marker 319 in Blue Island. The man was identified as Phillip Evans, 48, of the 14500 block of South Vail Avenue in Dixmoor, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. The cause of death was...

Four people were injured and taken to area hospitals this evening after the roof of a store collapsed on the Far South Side, authorities said. About 6 p.m. authorities were called to 115th Street and Normal Avenue, where the roof of a store had collapsed, police and fire officials said. Three people were taken to Roseland Community Hospital and one person was taken to MetroSouth Medical Center in Blue Island. Two were in good condition and two were in fair-to- serious condition,...

A Palos Park man died early this morning following an auto crash in Cook County near Blue Island, authorities said. Andre C. Reed, 21, was declared dead at 4:20 a.m. at the Cook County medical examiner's office, according to the office. At about 12:10 a.m., Reed was westbound on 127th Street near Homan Avenue when his vehicle crossed four lanes, went up an embankment and rolled over, said Cook County Sheriff's Police spokeswoman Lisa Gordon. Reed was alone in the vehicle and was not...

The SouthownStar reports: Encarnacion Solano, 69, of the 2300 block of 120th Street in Blue Island, died of head injuries Friday after colliding with a car while bicycling in Alsip Thursday. Get the full story: southtownstar.com

A student at Dwight D. Eisenhower High School in Blue Island is facing disciplinary measures after posting false information on a Facebook account claiming that there was a stabbing at the school, officials said. The student also posted false information that several guns were taken from students this morning, said Bob McParland, a spokesman for Community High School District 218. McParland said the student was not at school today and will be facing discipline. ...

A body was found this afternoon in the Cal-Sag Channel in south suburban Blue Island, according to Illinois State Police. They could not provide any further details of the discovery, other than that it was found about 1:30 p.m. A spokesman for the Cook County medical examiner's office described the body as that of an African-American male, but could not provide its age or identity. An autopsy on the body is scheduled for Friday. -- Staff report